Columbus Reacts To NCR Move

New details about a Fortune 500 company moving to Columbus and bringing hundreds of jobs with it. 

News 3 got reaction from Columbus City leaders as they rolled back into town following the Governor Sonny Perdue’s announcement Tuesday afternoon in Atlanta.

It’s been called a deal on the fast track, and one that has been highly confidential until it’s announcement. We talked to Becca Hardin, the Executive Vice President for Economic Development with the Columubs Chamber, and Columbus Mayor Jim Wetherington. They say this is big news for the once big manufacturing town.

Hardin tell us, “To get a project of this caliber in a good economy is an enormous success, but to get a project of this caliber in a recession is just unbelievable.”

NCR and its future employees will set up shop in a building on Mutec Drive in Columbus. It’s located in the Corporate Ridge Business Park, previous home of a Panasonic plant. The City plans to use stimulus money to buy the building from Panasonic and then lease it to NCR.

Wetherington says bring on the business, “This is a great day for Columbus, Georgia, getting a Fortune 500 company to come to Columbus with 870 jobs.”

The company makes ATM’s for Sun Trust, registers for Home Depot and kiosks for Delta.

Wetherington says they looked all over America for a place to relocate, “They narrowed it down to three, and we were in the top three, and luckily we came out number one.”

Hardin says it’s not just about the number of jobs NCR is bringing, but the money and benefits the positions will offer, “These are high tech manufacturing jobs and the average salary is 40,000 or higher.”

Hardin says this is the single largest new company announcement in Columbus, but the Mayor says it comes after months of sweating behind the scenes, “We worked hard for four months communicating with these people, meeting with them.”

Both Hardin and Wetherington say they are in the talks to bring more companies to Columbus. Specifically, Hardin says they are talking to defense contractors to work with various BRAC projects.